Nrusinghanath Temple
Encyclopedia
Sri Nrusinghanath Temple (Devnagari:नृसिंहनाथ),(Oriya
:ନୃସିଂହନାଥ) is situated in the slope of Gandhamardhan hills
in the district of Baragarh, Orissa
.
In the Bargarh district of extreme western Orissa is the ancient temple of Lord Nrusinghnath, also known as Bidala Nrusingha, Marjara Kesari, and Marjara Nrusingha. (In Oriya language
, bidala and marjara mean “cat”, and kesari means “lion”. Also, Oriyas pronounce “Nrsimha” with a distinct “u” sound, hence the different spelling.) Situated about 300 kilometers from the famous temple of Lord Jagannath in Puri, the Nrusinghnath temple is on top of the famous GandhamadanHill, where ancient rishis are said to have come to meditate. Some literatures say that Gandhamadan Hill was originally in the Himalayas, but a part of it fell down in this place
when Hanuman
was carrying it to Lanka with the herbs required to heal Lakshman.Gandhamadan Hill is also said to be one of the places where the Pandavas visited during their exile. The local tradition about this deity was compiled in the middle of
the 18th century by the poet Yuga Das Kondh in his Nrsimha-charita. It is said that in Treta-yuga there was a rishi named Uttanka who was performing austerities on the bank of the Godavari River. He had an attractive young daughter named Malati. Oneday, Ravan happened by that place and saw the beauty of the young girl. Ravan raped her and threw her into the Godavari River.The Godavari took compassion on her and brought her to the shore. When Malati came to her senses, she began searching for her father and crying. Indura, the mouse carrier of Ganesh, heard her cries and offered to help her reach her parents if
she would agree to enjoy with him. From Indura, a demon was born named Mushika Daitya (literally, “mouse demon”).
The new-born baby was so ferocious that as soon as he came from the womb heimmediately devoured his mother. Then he began to perform austerities to please Lord Shiva. Shiva was pleased with him and gave him the boon that he would have
no cause of fear from anyone except for Lord Nrisinghadev from Satya-yuga. Seeing his power, the devas became frightened and appealed to Lord Ramachandra to rescue the universe. Accordingly, Lord Ramachandra manifested the form ofNrisinghadev to catch the demon. Mushika Daitya became fearful and ran from placeto place seeking shelter, until finally he appealed to Gandhamadan Hill. The personified Gandhamadan granted shelter to Mushika Daitya, who then entered within a crack in the hill. When Lord Ramachandra later arrived, Gandhamadan requested him not to enter inside of the hill to seek out the demon. Lord Ramachandra then assumed the form of marjara-kesari, with the head of a cat and the body of a lion, and began guarding the area by the sudanga, or inner door of Gandhamardan. Just as a cat sits quietly by a hole, waiting for a mouse, similarly,Lord Marjara Kesari is said to still be sitting and waiting for the demon Mushika to come out.
.
According to Oriya and Devnagari inscriptions, the temple was built by Baijal Dev in early 15th century AD. The temple is constructed in Orissan style of architecture.
.
An annual big fair held on Nrusimha-chatrurdasi day during Vaishakha shukla chaturdashi(in May) attracts thousands of pilgrims from far and near.
Nrusimhanath Temple is about 110 km west of Baragarh and 64 km from Sambalpur
. Khariar Road Railway Station is the nearest railhead.
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
:ନୃସିଂହନାଥ) is situated in the slope of Gandhamardhan hills
Gandhamardhan hills
Gandhamardan Hills or Gandhamardan parbat is a hill located in between Balangir and Bargarh district of Western Orissa. This hill is well known for medicinal plants. Moreover, this hill also has a lot of historic importance as it was once a seat of Buddhist culture. Till to date many ruins found on...
in the district of Baragarh, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
.
Mythology
You may visit www.nrusinghanathtemple.comIn the Bargarh district of extreme western Orissa is the ancient temple of Lord Nrusinghnath, also known as Bidala Nrusingha, Marjara Kesari, and Marjara Nrusingha. (In Oriya language
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
, bidala and marjara mean “cat”, and kesari means “lion”. Also, Oriyas pronounce “Nrsimha” with a distinct “u” sound, hence the different spelling.) Situated about 300 kilometers from the famous temple of Lord Jagannath in Puri, the Nrusinghnath temple is on top of the famous GandhamadanHill, where ancient rishis are said to have come to meditate. Some literatures say that Gandhamadan Hill was originally in the Himalayas, but a part of it fell down in this place
when Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
was carrying it to Lanka with the herbs required to heal Lakshman.Gandhamadan Hill is also said to be one of the places where the Pandavas visited during their exile. The local tradition about this deity was compiled in the middle of
the 18th century by the poet Yuga Das Kondh in his Nrsimha-charita. It is said that in Treta-yuga there was a rishi named Uttanka who was performing austerities on the bank of the Godavari River. He had an attractive young daughter named Malati. Oneday, Ravan happened by that place and saw the beauty of the young girl. Ravan raped her and threw her into the Godavari River.The Godavari took compassion on her and brought her to the shore. When Malati came to her senses, she began searching for her father and crying. Indura, the mouse carrier of Ganesh, heard her cries and offered to help her reach her parents if
she would agree to enjoy with him. From Indura, a demon was born named Mushika Daitya (literally, “mouse demon”).
The new-born baby was so ferocious that as soon as he came from the womb heimmediately devoured his mother. Then he began to perform austerities to please Lord Shiva. Shiva was pleased with him and gave him the boon that he would have
no cause of fear from anyone except for Lord Nrisinghadev from Satya-yuga. Seeing his power, the devas became frightened and appealed to Lord Ramachandra to rescue the universe. Accordingly, Lord Ramachandra manifested the form ofNrisinghadev to catch the demon. Mushika Daitya became fearful and ran from placeto place seeking shelter, until finally he appealed to Gandhamadan Hill. The personified Gandhamadan granted shelter to Mushika Daitya, who then entered within a crack in the hill. When Lord Ramachandra later arrived, Gandhamadan requested him not to enter inside of the hill to seek out the demon. Lord Ramachandra then assumed the form of marjara-kesari, with the head of a cat and the body of a lion, and began guarding the area by the sudanga, or inner door of Gandhamardan. Just as a cat sits quietly by a hole, waiting for a mouse, similarly,Lord Marjara Kesari is said to still be sitting and waiting for the demon Mushika to come out.
History
According to Huen Tsang, the Chinese traveler, this place was a centre of Buddhist scriptural learning. Lord Nrushinghanath is a much-adored deity of Orissa and a great fair is held in his honour on the 14th day of bright fortnight in the month of VaisakhaVaisakha
Vaishakha or Baisakha is a month of the Hindu calendar. It is the first month of the Nepalese calendar and the Bengali calendar . In the Indian national calendar Vaisakha is the second month of the year, beginning on April 21 and ending on May 20.In the Hindu solar calendar, Vaisakha begins in...
.
According to Oriya and Devnagari inscriptions, the temple was built by Baijal Dev in early 15th century AD. The temple is constructed in Orissan style of architecture.
Tourism
In recent year tourism has been developing in around Gandhamardhan hillsGandhamardhan hills
Gandhamardan Hills or Gandhamardan parbat is a hill located in between Balangir and Bargarh district of Western Orissa. This hill is well known for medicinal plants. Moreover, this hill also has a lot of historic importance as it was once a seat of Buddhist culture. Till to date many ruins found on...
.
An annual big fair held on Nrusimha-chatrurdasi day during Vaishakha shukla chaturdashi(in May) attracts thousands of pilgrims from far and near.
Nrusimhanath Temple is about 110 km west of Baragarh and 64 km from Sambalpur
Sambalpur
Sambalpur is a city in Sambalpur district in the Indian state of Orissa.It lies at a distance of 321 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar. In the year 1876, Sambalpur was established as a municipality. It is currently the headquarters and the largest city of Sambalpur district. It is also...
. Khariar Road Railway Station is the nearest railhead.